Topper attachment for lawn-mowers.



J. W. CARD.

TOPPER ATTACHMENT FOR LAWN MOWERS. APPLICATION FILED PERM, 1908.

PATENTED MAY 12, 1908.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

JOHN W. CARD, OF DRYDEN, NEW YORK.

TOPPER ATTACHMENT FOR LAWN-MOWERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN W. CARD, a eitizen of the United States, residing at Dryden, in the county of Tompkins and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Topper Attachments for Lawn-Mowers, of WhlCll the following is a specification.

One of the prlmary objects of my invention is' to provide a device which may be readily attached to or detached from an ordinary lawn mower, andanother of the primary objects, and a principal one of my invention is to rovide an attachment of the type described which can be operated by frictional contact of rollers or wheelscarried thereby with the drive-wheels of the lawn mower.

The invention com rises a supporting frame carrying a cutter bar, with a reciprocatory knife bar mounted to work on the cutter bar, a shaft journaled in the frame and provided with frictional pulleys to engage with the drive'wheels of the lawn mower, means carried by said shaft to reciprocate the cutter knife, and means for adjustably-securing the device to the lawn mower frame, and t0 the handle of the lawn mower.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accom anying drawings forming a part of this app ication,

and wherein like numerals of reference will be employed to indicate like arts throughout the several views, in whicfiz- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the attachment applied in position on a lawn mower, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the two-part clamp by means of Which the attachment is connected to the handle, also showing a part of said handle. Fig). 3 is a cross sectional view of the cutter r and knife showing a part of the operating cam.

In the accompanying drawings the lawn mower 5 is illustrated largely diagrammatically, since my invention resides in the device which is to be attached to the lawn mower.

The attachment comprises a frame embodying two end standards 6 which at their lower end are formed integral with or rigidly connected to the ends of the cutter bar 7. This cutter bar 7 is provided along its forward edge with knife sections 8, and along its rear edge is provided with an upwardly extending flange Q.

Mounted on the cutter bar 7 is the reciproeatory cutter knife 10, provided along its forward edge with the knife sections 11 which operate in conjunction with the knife sections 8 to out the grass.

Journalcd in the standards 6 nearthe upper ends thereof is an operating shaft 12, the

ends of which project beyond the standards 6, and on each end is mounted afriction wheel 14 herein shown as being provided with a tread of rubber, leather or the like. These friction wheels 14 may be provided with flanges 15, as shown to project below the innerrim of the lawn mower wheels, 16, with which the friction wheels 14 are adapted to engage as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Mounted centrally on the drive shaft 12 is a wheel 17 provided in its peri hery with a continuous cam groove 18, in w iich engages a pin 19 carried on a rib 2O rovided on the upper face of the cutter knife 10, centrally o' the len V th of the latter.

It will e evident that as the lawn mower is moved forward, the friction wheels 14 engaging the wheels 16 will impart rotary movement to the shaft 12, and the shaft 12 will impart rotary movement to the cam wheel 17, and the cam wheel 17 will impart reciprocatory movement to the cutter knife 10. This cutter knife 10 is held in proper position on the cutter bar by means of ins 21 operating in slots 22, provided there or in said outter knife 10.

The description so far given embraces the operating parts of the attachment, and to secure the attachment to a lawn mower, I pro' wheels 14 will normally engage with the drive wheelsv 16 of the lawn mower. The

cross pin or bar 24 is connected to the handle frame at the forward'end so that the friction 27 of the lawn mower-by means of a twoart 29 at the ends of said base late.

this means I am able to top the .a manner that grass which wou d ordinarily clam embodying a base late 28 whic is fixed y secured to the ban le 27 as by bolts This base plate is provided near its ower end' with a seat 30 which receives the cross bar by means of a frame 31 provided at its lower end with In s 32 apertured to receive a pivot pin or bo t 33 passing through said lugs and through the base plate as clearly seen in Fig. 2. The

base plate 28 is provided on its upper face with a lip 34 WhlCh partly overlies the seat 30, so as to receive any upward thrust that may be delivered to the cross pin or bar 24.

The frame 31 is provided with downwardlyextending side flanges which overlap the sides p f the base plate 28 as seen in dotted lines in It will be observed that to disconnect the attachment it is only necessary to swing the frame 31 upon its pivot pin 33, disconnect the s rin s 26 fromthe'rod 25 and the frame can then e lifted from the lawn mower, and the cross pin or bar 24 removed from its seat. The two-part clamp above-described remains on the handle of the lawn mower so as to be in position when it is again desired to attach the device. 1

It will be observed that the cutter bar of the attachment lies on a plane some distance above the plane of the cutter bar of the lawn mower, an consequently will operate on the grass at a point considerably higher than the cutter bar or knife of the lawnmower. By ass in such choke the lawn mower, owing to the length thereof, may be readily operated upon by the lawn mower when my attachment is applied thereto.

Having fully described my invention, What Y I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: g

1. An attachment for lawn mowers, com- PIlSlIlg a name embodying end standards ciprocatory; movement to said cutter knife, I

reach rods connected to said standards,

means for connecting said reach rods to a' lawn mower frame, and means for detachablyconnecting the reach rods 'to the lawn mower handle.

2. In combination with a lawn mower, a grass topping attachment comprising a frame embod mg a cutter bar and end standards, a cutter nife mounted for reciprocation on the cutter bar, a drive shaft j ournaled in the end standards, friction wheels on the ends of said drive shaft engaging the drive wheels of said lawn mower, a pin carried by the cutter knife, a wheel on said drive shaft having a cam groove to'receive said in, reach rods connected to said end stan ards, and means for detachably-connecting said reach rods to the lawn mower handle.

3. In combination with a lawn mower, a grass topping attachment detachably-secured to t e awn mower and embodying a reciprocatory cutter knife, and means for frictional engagement with the drive wheels for imparting reciprocatory movement to the cutter knife.

' 4. In combination with a lawn mower, a

topping attachment detachably-connected to the lawn mower and embodying a reciprocatory cutter knife, an operating means for said cutter knife actuated by frlctional engagement with the drive wheels of the lawn mower.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- JOHN W. CARD.

Witnesses:

HARVEY O. Looms, GEO. E. GOODRIOH. 

